A method for transmitting services information in a broadcasting network by at least one managing center towards a plurality of receivers includes exploring streams broadcasted by a DVB network and streams broadcasted by an IP network and extracting services information from these streams, completing an information table, situated at the highest level in a hierarchy of services information tables, included in the service information DVB-SI transmitted by the DVB network by services information related to the IP network, and transmitting the completed information table in the streams broadcasted by the DVB network towards the receivers having two switchable receiving modules, connected respectively to a DVB and an IP services broadcasting network. The receivers are able to activate the reception of digital data of a service, equivalent to the service currently received, with a second receiving module when receiving conditions of a first receiving module are degraded.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A method for transmitting services information in a broadcast network by at least one managing center towards a plurality of processing devices connected to a first network of a first type and to a second network of a second type, both networks broadcasting digital data streams including content data of services and additional information data on said services structured in tables adapted to a transmission protocol specific to each type of network, the method comprising: exploring the first and second network and extracting services information from the digital data streams broadcasted by the first network and the second network, inserting services information extracted from the digital data streams of the second network into an information table transmitted by the first network in order to obtain a modified information table, said information table being situated at a highest level in a hierarchy of services information tables of the first network, a location of said information table being identified in another of the services information tables of the first network, said services information including at least one descriptor comprising an identifier of a service broadcasted by the second network and an address corresponding to said service, transmitting the modified information table in the digital data streams broadcasted by the first network towards the processing devices, said modified information table contributing to reduce analysis and processing tasks executed by the processing devices during determination of the service of the second network corresponding to a currently received service of the first network.
2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the modified information table includes a network information table (NIT) defined according to the standards ETSI EN 300 468.
3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the modified information table includes a bouquet association table (BAT) or a services description table (SDT) defined according to the standards ETSI EN 300468.
4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the information table is modified by further adding a reference of a broadcaster of IP services.
5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the modified information table is transmitted divided into several sub-tables each attributed to a broadcaster of IP services.
6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the information table is modified by adding the services information extracted from the second network, the services information being extracted from a Service Directory & Selection (SD&S) structure transmitted by the second network.
7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the services information concerning the second network are introduced into the information table from files or from databases.
8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first type is a Digital Video Broadcast (DVB) type, and the second type is an Internet Protocol (IP) type.
9. A processing device of digital data services streams, the processing device comprising: a first receiver configured to receive-digital data streams from a first network of a first type and a second receiver configured to receive digital data streams from a second network of a second type, the first and second receivers being linked to a device for processing and displaying of broadcasted services information data; a switching device configured to activate reception of digital data of an equivalent service equivalent to a service currently received with the second receiver when receiving conditions by the first receiver are degraded, the processing device being configured to determine the equivalent service from a services information table stored in a non-volatile memory, the services information table being situated at the highest level in a hierarchy of services information tables, a location of said services information table being identified in another of the services information tables, said services information table containing descriptors comprising identifiers of services of the first type and addresses corresponding to said services of the first type.
10. The processing device according to claim 9 , wherein the equivalent service is determined by a network information table (NIT) defined according to the standards ETSI EH 300 468.
11. The processing device according to claim 9 , wherein the equivalent service is determined by a bouquet association table (BAT) or by a services description table (SOT) defined according to the standards ETSI EN 300 468.
12. The processing device according to claim 9 , wherein the second receiver is configured to activate automatically the reception of the digital data when receiving conditions by the first receiver module are degraded.
13. The processing device according to claim 9 , wherein the second receiver is configured to activate manually the reception of the digital data when receiving conditions by the first receiver module are degraded.
14. The processing device according to claim 9 , wherein the processing device is a set top box.
Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.
September 18, 2017
October 29, 2019
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